Pubs, clubs, and live music venues will welcome a 20% business rates cut from April. @ukhospitality.bsky.social chief executive Allen Simpson called it “a good start”. But the £100m-a-year policy will be funded by reviewing tax reliefs for businesses 1/2

Burnham’s second major cost-of-living announcement: a £2 cap on most single bus fares in England from January. The Transport Secretary @heidialexander.bsky.social says the scheme will cost more than £500 million, funded through £454m of departmental reallocations and changes 1/2

How will new Prime Minister, @andyburnham.bsky.social pay for his first major spending announcement - a VAT cut from household electricity bills? - Cutting VAT on household electricity from 5% to 0% from 1 October 2026 is expected to cost the Treasury about 1/3

The fourth Prime Minister in four years. The King is due to meet the new Prime Minister with the traditional ‘kissing of hands’ this morning after Sir Keir Starmer tenders his resignation. @andyburnham.bsky.social is expected to 1/2

Could @andyburnham.bsky.social scrap the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology? Allies close to the new Labour leader have always said the department lurches from tech enabler to tech blocker. As the permanent secretary, Emran Mian cancels 1/3

Andy Burnham is set to become Labour leader today, promising to be “unashamedly Labour” and to “fix the big things politics has neglected”. With plans for economic renewal, reindustrialisation, greater public control and “No 10 North”, many Labour MPs hope 1/2

British Steel has been taken into public ownership, with the Government saying the move will protect UK steelmaking, safeguard 2,700 jobs in Scunthorpe and secure the UK’s ability to produce primary steel. 1/2

Will the Government introduce a default midnight-to-6am social media curfew for 16- and 17-year-olds, alongside limits on autoplay and infinite scrolling? However, the settings can be switched off, prompting criticism that the measures may not go far enough. 1/2

The Chancellor’s scorecard is “very low” in securing the future of the economy. Summary of #bbclaurak interview with Shadow Chancellor, Sir @meljstridemp.bsky.social as it looks like Rachel Reeves will lose office under a new @andyburnham.bsky.social government. 1/3

Andy Burnham needs a worked-through plan to govern, Chancellor Rachel Reeves gives her advice to the incoming Prime Minister. Full summary of #bbclaurak interview assessing her legacy: - Reeves says she restored economic stability and credibility 1/3

“We want children and young people not to start vaping in the first place” says Health & Care Secretary, @jamesmurrayldn.bsky.social. The Government has launched a crackdown on youth vaping, proposing plain packaging, simpler flavour names, and tighter 1/2

Former Conservative minister, tv celebrity, and later Reform Party spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe has died aged 78.

Likely Prime Minister, @andyburnham.bsky.social argues Britain’s security abroad depends on resilience at home, linking defence investment with sovereign capability, industrial renewal and stronger alliances. Read Chamber UK’s analysis: lnkd.in/ekQPuxFn Curia’s Quantum roundtable: lnkd.in/ez_iMuzT

Personal Independence Payments (PIP) is “not fit for purpose and needs quite fundamental change," says disability minister Sir Stephen Timms, as a major review finds the benefits system is failing many disabled people and has not kept pace with modern understanding of disability. 1/2

UK ministers plan to tighten political donation rules, capping donations at £100,000 for a year after overseas voters move back to Britain. The move aims to curb foreign influence in UK elections and could affect some of Reform’s biggest donors. 1/2

Health and Care Secretary, @jamesmurrayldn.bsky.social on #bbclaurak: 🤖 NHS AI triage won’t decide who sees a doctor, but will help direct patients to the right service and cut 8am phone queues. 🇬🇧 Wants more British firms involved in NHS data systems. 1/2

Weaknesses in leadership, morale, & culture finds major report on police leadership. Authored by former Labour Home Secretary, Lord Blunkett the report concludes the police service in England & Wales is "not good enough". Speaking to #bbclaurak, he said its leadership needs an "ethical reset". 1/3

As access talks with the civil service begin, what does the fact @andyburnham.bsky.social bringing @louisehaighmp.bsky.social (chair of the soft left Tribune group) and James Purnell (new chief of staff and former Blairite Minister) mean for the likely new Prime Minister? 1/2

Could Burnham introduce a new poll tax? No new increases in VAT, income tax or national insurance - but likely Prime Minister, @andyburnham.bsky.social opens door to other tax rises to pay for defence, council housing, infrastructure, and devolution. 1/2

Does Nigel Farage’s £4million property portfolio, and 5 mortgage-free homes open the question of whether MP’s transparency guidelines are fit for purpose? With a spokesperson for Farage saying, “Parliament’s regime is one of transparency, not prohibition”, 1/2

How much more could @andyburnham.bsky.social invest in the Defence Investment Plan? If Burnham receives the keys to Number 10 this month, the future Prime Minister will face some difficult choices in the months ahead. 1/4

“Late & underfunded” - as one of his last acts as Prime Minister, Keir Starmer will publish the Defence Investment Plan with £5bn to increase the armed forces' use of drones. With ongoing criticism of Royal Navy capabilities, the Plan will also set out plans to use AI & self-controlled vessels. 1/3

Ahead of his first major speech since returning to Westminster on the economy, close ally and advisor to @andyburnham.bsky.social, @louisehaighmp.bsky.social, has called for capital gains tax to be brought closer to income tax rates, looser fiscal rules to 1/3

On Kemi Badenoch’s comparison of @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social’s approach to that of the Nazi Gestapo at #pmqs this week and her doubling down on the comments, Shadow Housing Secretary, @jamescleverly.bsky.social tells #bbclaurak "that wouldn't have been the phraseology that I use", 1/5

"We will now unite behind Andy Burnham” says former Keir Starmer loyalist and Housing Secretary, Steve Reed following his resignation this week. Reed tells #bbclaurak: • Labour’s leadership change is “very different” from the Conservatives’ PM churn 1/6

Energy Minister, @michaelshanksmp.co.uk MP. Read more: politicsuk.com/news/uk-us-f... Register to attend: in-conversation-minister-shanks.eventbrite.co.uk 2/2

“I am very opposed to the general rule of wealth taxes:” If @andyburnham.bsky.social wants to win over investors, entrepreneurs, and aspirational voters, ditching a wealth tax may be smart politics says Burnham’s likely chief economic advisor at No.10, Lord Jim O’Neill. 1/2

Obesity rates are rising fastest among young adults, raising concerns about long-term health impacts and increasing pressure on healthcare services. As UK Healthcare and Life Sciences Innovation (UKHLSI) launches their Obesity Working Group, experts say early intervention and prevention 1/2

Will Burnham look again at the Defence Investment Plan? Questions have been asked on whether the current Prime Minister will present his controversial plan to the forthcoming NATO summit. @andyburnham.bsky.social held talks with the former Defence Secretary, 1/2

On the 10th Anniversary of #Brexit, President of Conservative European Forum, Sir David Lidington argues that rejoining the EU may be possible in the longer term, but only with clear terms, rebuilt trust, and a fresh referendum: conservativeeuropeanforum.com/a_message_fr...